HALLOW'EEN reserved its most gruesome horror story of the weekend for Ewood Park.

The venue has become a house of pain for Liverpool, with Djibril Cisse the latest victim of a curse which has claimed three victims in two years.

The Reds' failure to claim three points is incidental given they had to leave Lancashire nursing broken bones for the second consecutive season.

No blame was attached to the opponents this time, but Liverpool must lament another costly afternoon which has denied the club a key man for, at the minimum, the rest of the season. Pray it's no longer.

When Jamie Carragher and Milan Baros spookily suffered a similar fate a year ago, the long-term significance of their absence was predicted.

Liverpool badly missed the duo in the months which followed and the formidable task facing Rafa Benitez today - and his bosses - is to fill the chasm Cisse ' s misfortune has created.

Benitez wanted at least one striker in January. Now he needs two.

The pressure for those in charge to find the funds to allow him to do his job has suddenly intensified. Otherwise, no-one should dare criticise the manager if Liverpool lack firepower between now and May.

Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor are rookies. Harry Kewell has shown no form so far, and Baros can't be expected to fire all the bullets alone.

If the headlines haven't done so already, it's only a matter of time before the words 'striker' and 'crisis' start appearing in the same sentence.

Benitez must have smashed a few mirrors, run over a black cat and accidentally strolled under a row of ladders when he arrived on Merseyside.

Not once has he complained about injuries, yet he has now lost the club's record signing having already missed his skipper for two months. He's still waiting for his second buy to kick a ball while the other international right midfielder at the club, Vladimir Smicer, won't be back until January.

If the manager's hands are tied in the transfer market - as the club's unfavourable accounts will soon be implying - someone will have to buy him a set of pliers for Christmas.

Having said that, it wasn't just a lack of cutting edge which cost Liverpool three points here. Benitez witnessed the worst defensive display since he took charge. A poor home side was able to claim a point because of the Reds ' generosity.

The Spanish boss has performed sterling work since his arrival, but every now and then he's granted a peek at the flaws which have become so familiar.

This game sits uncomfortably alongside matches at Wolves or Leicester City last season. Encounters against relegation fodder which the Reds should have won easily, but had to settle for a point because they didn't concentrate enough and made too many elementary mistakes.

When John Arne Riise concluded a brilliant opening spell with his second goal in two weeks, anything but victory was considered unsatisfactory.

Blackburn started with a limp as the Reds sprinted into gear. Cisse tested Friedel, Baros was also denied by a brave save from the American and Xabi Alonso was spraying balls with precision.

It was too easy. For the first time this year, Liverpool started to think they're better than they are.

Brett Emerton beat a poor imitation of an offside trap and Jay Both-royd gave Chris Kirkland his first action. Picking the ball out of the net.

The loss of Cisse understandably numbed the crowd and this can be the only explanation for Liverpool's disappearing act before half-time. Their minds weren't on the job, as Sami Hyypia's uncharacteristic blemish and Josemi's lack of aware-ness gave Emerton the opportunity to give Rovers an astonishing lead.

A few choice words from Benitez at half-time was all the team needed to ensure they wouldn't lose, although the helping hand came from Rovers this time. Jay McEveley's ridiculous free kick allowed Garcia to feed Baros and he did the rest.

A platform for another win having been losing at half-time was provided.

But Liverpool continued to be sloppy in possession. The 1,000 holes in Blackburn's defence weren't exploited.

Only a late rally threatened a winner, but Mark Hughes' side had chances of their own and Kirkland was as busy as Friedel.

It was a frustrating evening. An ideal opportunity to make ground on the leaders was wasted.

Too many players went missing. Baros led the line superbly given his additional responsibility, Riise improved in the left midfield role and Xabi Alonso was majestic again.

But Carragher was the only defender who was up to standard. The rest were well below par.

Just as you start allowing yourself to think the juggernaut is moving into a higher gear, an emergency stop is called for.

The irrational side of a football fan's brain continues to convince the sensible half that a limited squad will launch an unlikely challenge to the top guns.

Then a game comes along which vividly exposes where improvement is still needed. In this case, parts of the defence, midfield and forward line looked short of the necessary quality.

With Steven Gerrard's return imminent, Benitez knows a huge chunk of the missing 40% he needs will be filled, but the reinforcements required in other areas are still playing for other clubs.

The moments of truth in this transitional season are approaching and Benitez will need all the help he can get to lead the club through safely with the current feel-good factor intact. Otherwise, injuries at Ewood Park will haunt the club for the second year running.